Question: If $a + b + c = -8$ and $x + y = 9$, what is $2a + 2c + 4y + 2b + 4x$ ?
Answer: $= 2a + 2b + 2c + 4x + 4y$ $= (2) \cdot (a + b + c) + (4) \cdot (x + y)$ $= (2) \cdot (-8) + (4) \cdot (9)$ $= -16 + 36$ $= 20$